In arthroplasty, a damaged joint, such as a knee joint, is replaced with prosthetic implants. Prior to implantation of the implant, the damaged region of the joint is typically prepared by treating regions of the bones to provide surfaces that can align with and therefore accommodate the implant.
Accuracy in the alignment of the implant is important in the arthroplasty procedure. In knee replacement surgery, this entails proper alignment of the knee so the centre of the hip, knee and ankle are aligned in a straight line. This in turn ensures faster patient rehabilitation and better knee function. For this purpose, mechanical jigs, which ensure accurate position and orientation of finishing instruments used during bone resection, are typically used during arthroplasty procedures, such as knee replacements. However, such conventional jigs may lack precision as they may rely on the user's judgment to assess proper positioning of the devices. In addition, each patient's anatomy being different, proper component sizing may be required for optimizing the outcome of the surgery. Still, conventional components only allow patient customization to a certain degree. As such, the use of conventional instrumentation can lead to misalignment and result in instability and potential wear or even premature failure of the prosthetic implants.
There is therefore a need for improved patient-specific instrumentation for use during articular joint repair procedures.